Vancouver Fire rescues person below Commercial Drive

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) crews spent a few hours Monday evening conducting a technical rescue after a person fell down an embankment near Commercial Drive.

VFRS Battalion Chief Sean Gilmour says two people had “climbed through a hole in the fence” in the late afternoon to sit at the top of the bank. One person is said to have “lost their footing,” falling down the bank below to near the train tracks.

Fire trucks could be seen parked alongside the bridge, as crews set up rappel lines in order to rescue the individual.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services crews performed a “technical rescue” from a bridge along Commercial Drive on Monday, April. 24. (HanaMae Nassar, CityNews Image)

“It is quite an ordeal, and it’s good to see our members are well-trained with their technical rescue,” Gilmour said. “They did a great job getting this person up and preventing any further injury.”

He says the rescue was “logistically difficult,” as a section of Commercial Drive between 8th Avenue and Grandview Highway had to be shut down in order to keep members safe.

Gilmour explains the person rescued was experiencing some neck and leg pain but didn’t mention any serious injuries.

He adds this area presents an ongoing issue, as people frequently cut holes in the fence lining 8th Avenue to gain access to the bank near the bridge.

“There’s lots of holes in these fences. People cut them to get access — there’s a big hole,” Gilmour said. “Absolutely it’s an ongoing concern. People set up encampments, they get some privacy down there. Very common.”

This is a rescue VFRS crews were prepared for as well, as Gilmour tells CityNews the department’s “tech team” was practicing something similar earlier Monday morning.